Danganronpa: Song Of Despair

Chapter 3: A Deadly Motive

A few days had passed, and things were going well. Nothing much had happened, but here, that was a good thing.

It was a bright morning, and as I entered the hotel restaurant I spotted Natsumi and Katashi, already there. They were sitting together at a nearby table, talking to each other. It seemed as if Natsumi was actually being nice and not as vulgar.

I sat down at a nearby table, and almost as soon as I did, Satchiko and Kaiya entered the room. They sat down at the table with me, Kaiya with a small smile, and Satchiko seeming to be deep in thought.

"That bear's up to something, I can tell..." The lucky student stated.

It didn't take long for everyone else to arrive. Riku had joined our table, and Akio, Mai, and Willow sat at their own. Michio and Jikkō sat together as well. Before any discussion among us could occur, Monokuma had appeared in front of us.

"You guys are getting real boring!" The bear exclaimed. "Not only is no one dying, but there's no drama or romance either!"

"I think that's an accomplishment!" Mai said. "Being boring is better than being dead!" Willow nodded in agreement.

"Well, you're wrong! I need some entertainment and good old fashioned despair!" Monokuma exclaimed. "So that's why I'm giving out another motive, this kind always works wonders. They're in your rooms now, so go ahead and take a look at your leisure~"

Once Monokuma was done explaining, he left the room. Everyone exchanged glances of uncertainty, and I felt a spark of worry. What could the motive be this time...?

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jikkō asked, standing up from her seat. "Let's go see what it is."

"Is that really a good idea?" Kaiya spoke up. "I mean, it's supposed to lead us to kill...."

"If we don't look, do you really think Monokuma would let that slide?" Jikkō pointed out. "It's also in our rooms, we can't really avoid that."

Kaiya hesitantly nodded. "I guess you're right...."

And so, we all got up to head to our rooms. I was dreading what was to come.

~*~

I closed the door behind me, and took a quick look around. Immediately, my eyes fell upon a beige folder neatly placed on my bed. I walked over, sat on the bed, and picked it up. Hesitantly, I opened it, only to immediately regret doing so.

The first thing I saw was two pictures. The first one was of a teenage girl. She was tied up in a dark room, laying on the floor. Her dark brown hair fell around her, her violet eyes wide in fear. It looked as if she would be screaming, if not for the gag.

My hands were shaking, and I denied that this was real. It could be a clever use of photoshop, or a prank, it just couldn't be real. That girl was one I quickly recognized- she was Aimi Hoshiko, my ex girlfriend.

The next picture was even worse. I didn't immediately recognize the boy, as his face was covered in blood. His short brown hair was a complete mess, and he was limping, blood pouring from his damaged leg. It was my my brother, Koichi. He was only a year younger than me, but I always felt the need to protect him. Seeing him like this....

I dropped the photos, forcing myself to look away. They just had to be fake, I wouldn't believe it. Picking up the note that came with the pictures, I read it.

What happened to your loved ones? Did they survive? Can you still save them? FIND OUT AFTER GRADUATION!

I glared at the note. I wasn't going to kill over this, I couldn't. But knowing what everyone else had probably received... I could see why someone would.